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Scrutiny of intelligence services 'damaging' their credibility

The way British intelligence and security services are held to account is damaging their credibility, an influential group of MPs has said. The Home Affairs Select Committee wants to see an overhaul of the Intelligence and Security Committee.

Govt 'must not continue to bury its head in the sand'

The Government must reform the way MI5, MI6 and GHCQ are held to account and "must not continue to bury its head in the sand," civil rights campaigners warned.

Emma Carr, acting director of Big Brother Watch, said:

When a senior committee of Parliament says that the current oversight of our intelligence agencies is not fit for purpose, ineffective and undermines the credibility of Parliament, the Government cannot and must not continue to bury its head in the sand.

This report is a wake-up call to those blindly parroting the line that the UK has the best oversight system in the world.

The law is out of date, the oversight is weak and the reporting of what happens is patchy at best.